


One Should Be Four at Christmastime (With A Big Brother To Help Guard the Way)

by Rai_Knightshade



Series: The Bradyverse [14]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Fluff, Christmas traditions, Christmas traditions from around the world, Cute Kids, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, M/M, Singing, Songs, also Norwegian and Spanish but mostly it's Finnish, featuring cute kids, gratuitous finnish, namely Julebukking, posting this ahead of That Episode in case anyone's in need of preemptive fluff, this is a blatant excuse to include my newfound knowledge of Scandinavia to use, which isn't much of a thing anymore but that's alright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade
Summary: The children of the Bradyverse are bored, and bored children + Macgyver influences = shenanigans ensue.Aka Emergency Fluff for anyone who needs it in preparation for/after The Episode that airs tonight. I know I do.
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Riley Davis/JIll Morgan, Samantha Cage/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen
Series: The Bradyverse [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561579
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	One Should Be Four at Christmastime (With A Big Brother To Help Guard the Way)

**Author's Note:**

> For this fic, Italics around an English word indicate emphasis; italics around a non-english word (either Finnish/Suomi, Norwegian/Norsk or Spanish/Español) indicates that it's a non-english word spoken aloud/spoken untranslated. A word bank/explanation of all such words is included in the End Notes (and if I messed up your language, please tell me cause I will fix it)  
> Title is a couple of lines from Romjulsdrøm translated (more or less) into English
> 
> Betaed by the lovely Dean aka @DeanBennyForTheWin on tumblr or @ArthursKnight here on ao3! Thank you so much for your help!!! Sorry I forgot to tag you earlier 😓

"Mommy I'm _bored_."

Raina Brantley-Lichtenson chuckled softly as she felt a soft thump hit the back of her chair; no doubt her son had decided to lean his head up against it to emphasize just how terrible his situation was. "I know, love, you've been very, ahem, _vocal_ about your boredom, but you'll just have to find something to entertain yourself while I finish up my project, alright? It'll only be a few more minutes, surely even you can hold out that long."

The five year old came around the back of the chair with a pout and flopped down onto the floor just in front of the desk. "But _Mommy_ , I wanna play with you _now_!"

Raina's expression was stern, but kind. "Erik, you can wait five minutes." She glanced around her little office for something to occupy the boy, who continued to pout up at her from the floor. After a moment, she spotted some paper and crayons on the little coffee table across the way. "Hey, why don't you draw me a _Joulunaikaa_ picture?" She gestured towards the coffee table. 

Erik looked up, intrigued, but he looked back at Raina with confusion. "But I already drawed you a _Joulunaikaa_ picture at home, why’s I gotta make another one?"

Raina chuckled. "Well you don't _gotta_ , as you say, but that's for at home; I don't have one here in my office, and I think it's looking a little dull in here, don't you? A _Joulunaikaa_ picture is just what I need to make this office super festive!"

Erik contemplated that for a moment, then nodded resolutely. "Ok Mommy, I'mma make you the bestest _Joulunaikaa_ drawing ever!" With that vow he leapt up and ran over to the coffee table to get to work. Raina chuckled lightly and turned back to her computer, mentally vowing to finish this webpage update as quickly as possible before Erik ran out of things to do again.

It was only a few minutes of intense focus on their work later when both mother and son finished their work, looked it over, and at the same time said “All done!” They looked at each other, startled, before bursting into giggles. Erik picked up his drawing and ran back over to his mother, proudly holding it up so she could see.

“Look Mommy! I drew _everybody_ : _Isӓ_ , you, me, Uncle Mac, Uncle Jack, Cousin Brady and Rissy and Ellie May! And I drew _Joulupukki_ and a Christmas tree cause we’re all celebrating together!” Erik lowered the drawing a bit so he could show off a wide, toothy grin. “Do’s you like it, Mommy?”

Raina smiled brightly. “I love it, _kulta_. I’ll put it right up here above my desk so I can see it every time I’m working on something!” She gently took the picture and a piece of tape, and did exactly that, affixing the drawing to the wall above her desk. She looked back down at her son. “In fact, maybe you can draw me a new picture every year, hmm? We can make it a _Joulua_ tradition!”

Erik nodded vigorously. “Yeah! …Mommy what’s a tradition?” 

Raina snorted in amusement before gathering Erik up into her lap. She let him snuggle in close before answering. “A tradition is an activity you do regularly, like once a year or every couple of years, that you don’t really change a lot between years. Usually, it’s something you do for a holiday, like _Joulua_ or the Fourth of July or _Dia del Muertos_. It’s also usually something special and meaningful to you and your family, but it doesn’t have to be; it can be something silly too! Like, every year when I was growing up, at Christmastime we’d get together as a family and play a game where everyone got to choose a gift from a big pile, but they were all silly gifts like a talking parrot toy, or a pen that would shock you when you used it, or a hat with a funny phrase on it. And that was our tradition!”

Erik looked up in awe. “Whooooaaaaaa, traditions sound like lots’a fun Mommy!”

“They are!” Raina said with a smile, booping Erik on his little nose to elicit a giggle. “And I think a _Joulunaikaa_ drawing would be a perfect tradition for us, don’t you?”

“Yeah!” Erik cheered, happy to share something new with his mother. He looked up at his drawing with pride, but then a thought occurred to him. He looked back up at Raina with a question in his eyes. “Hey Mommy, what are some other traditions that people do for _Joulua_? Like, what did _Isӓ_ do back home in _Suomi_ , huh? What do they do in other places?”

Raina looked up thoughtfully before reaching over to the computer and pulling up her favorite search engine. “I dunno, but let’s find out, shall we?”

30 minutes later found the two deep in Wikipedia and Christmas tradition blog articles, learning about traditions from across the world. Raina had compiled a list of new recipes she’d like to try, like _krumkake_ from Norway and _joulutortut_ from _Suomi_ (she’d have to ask Aleksandr if he had a family recipe to share, otherwise she’d try the one she’d found online). Meanwhile, Erik was fascinated with traditions like Wassailing and Caroling and _Julebukking_ ; it sounded like Halloween but with music, and Erik _loved_ to sing!

“Well, darling, have you found any traditions you’d like to try?” Raina asked, not privy to Erik’s inner thoughts.

Erik nodded enthusiastically, hopping down from his mother’s lap. “Yeah! I just need help,” he said as he grabbed his paper and crayons and headed for the door. “I’ll be back later Mommy!”

Raina turned her chair around, startled. “Oh! Well, alright then; don’t run through the halls though _kulta_ , you could trip!” she called, but the boy was already gone.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Angus Macgyver-Dalton’s office, three other children lounged around the room, similarly bored as they waited for their fathers to finish up in a meeting. Brayden, 13 and the eldest of the three (“only by two months!” “Still makes me the oldest Rissy”), sat upside down on the couch, head hanging over the side.

“I’m _booorrreeedddd_. There’s nothing to do here!”

Arista, also 13, only snorted in mild derision. “Maybe you should work on your homework then, same as me.” As she spoke another answer came to her, and she typed it into her tablet quickly. Algebra was tough, but someone had to do it.

Brady looked over at her. “Algebra’s _boring_ though, cause I already know how to do it! Dunno why Daddy won’t let me skip it.” He was a bit old to pout, but he did it anyway.

“You know Daddy’d have let you skip if he could, but he already told you: the school requires it for graduation, so you gotta take it anyways, no skipping. We ran into the same problem with me and Chemistry, remember?”

Brady sighed in defeat. “Yeah, I know. Still sucks though.”

A new voice piped up from across the room. “You can come color with me Bubba! I gots lots’a paper and crayons!” Both teens looked over at their 5 year old sister, little Eliza May, grinning brightly from their Daddy’s desk where she was drawing Santas and Christmas Trees for their Papa.

Brady sat up to see her better. "I dunno Eli, I think I'm a little big for coloring."

Eli shook her head adamantly. "Nuh-uh, nobody's too big to color!" Brady thought about that for a moment, then shrugged in acceptance cause hey, least it's better than algebra. But before he could move over to the desk where his sister was sitting, the door to the office bursted open with a bang. All three children looked up in alarm, only relaxing when they realized it was just Erik. The boy was panting, as if he'd just run all the way down the hall to their office, but he had a big grin splitting his face.

"Hi Brady, hi Rissy, hi Eli! I need your help!!!!"

Brady quickly stood up at that, Arista following suit. "What's wrong hoss?" Brady asked, worried. "Did something happen?"

"Is anyone hurt?" Rissy added.

But Erik shook his head, setting the crayons and paper in his hands on the desk next to Eliza. " _Ei, ei,_ nothin's wrong! I just gots an idea for somethin' we can do together, but I needs help!"

Eliza brightened at that. "Is it fun? Like colorin'?"

"Yeah!" Erik nodded enthusiastically. "We can color masks, and wear them around to everyone's offices! Mommy read me a story abouts it on the internet, they used to do it lots in Norway, which isn't quite as cool as _Isä's_ _Suomi_ but it's close. It's, like, it's like Trick or Treating, but you get to sing carols! It sounds so cool!"

Brayden and Arista shared a look, nodding thoughtfully. "It does sound like fun, Erik," Arista said. "I've got my Brownie Knife so we can cut holes in the paper, and I bet Daddy's got some string somewhere we can use to tie them on."

Erik was ecstatic. "So you'll help?"

"Yup! Let's do this, dude!" Brady said with a grin, bounding over to Mac's knickknack drawers. "Yup, there's some twine in here we can use!"

"And I gots lots of colors we can use, Erik! I was runnin' outta paper though, good thing you brought more." Eli got to work drawing a very careful mask onto one of her papers, already imagining all the stars and reindeer she could put on it. Erik tugged over a chair and sat down next to her, getting to work on his own mask.

"Hey, Erik, what kinds of carols should we sing? Did the article mention any in particular?" Asked Arista as she got to work cutting the twine with her knife. Brady pulled out his own SAK and whipped out the scissors attachment, ready to cut out masks.

Erik had to think for a moment. "Nuh-uh, it didn't mention any songs. I 'pose we can use any songs we wanna. _Isä_ taughts me one in _Suomi_ already, called _Joulupuu on Rakennettu_. It's really nice. But we can sing Jingle Bells and stuff too!"

"Can I sing one in _Español?_ " Arista asked. "My _Mamá_ taught me one years ago, when I was little, called _La Rama_ ; she'd sing it during _las posadas_ back in Veracruz. It's really pretty!"

Erik nodded. "Definitely! This's gonna be so much fun!!"

Brady, just finishing up cutting out Eliza's mask, turned and grabbed one of the tablets from the coffee table. "Hey, what did you say this was called again, Erik?"

" _Julebukking!_ It's from Norway!"

Brady nodded, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Then I think we should sing a song in Norwegian too, it only seems right." He typed something into his tablet, scrolled a bit, and made a soft "a ha!" Noise when he's found what he was looking for. "Here we go, _Romjulsdrøm_ seems nice enough. And hey, I think it's about _Julebukking_ actually!"

Eliza, busy coloring another mask for her brother, finally piped up again. "We should all sing a song all by's ourselves, and then sing some together! Brady'll sing the Norry song, Rissy can sing in Spansh, and Erik'll sing Sumi! I guess I'mma sing in Engish, cause I don't's knows those others yet."

The other children all shared looks, before turning to Eliza with resolute nods. "Yeah!"

* * *

Matilda Webber was minding her own business in her office, trying to finish up some paperwork on a mission that had gone farther south than Antarctica, only to find herself interrupted by a group of ....masked superheroes? She looked closer at the quietly giggling intruders and concluded that, no, not superheroes, superheroes usually didn’t have Christmas-themed masks. And they _definitely_ didn’t sing, which these masked characters did. She was more than a little confused when the children started a rousing rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus” (and it took a lot to confuse Matilda Webber), but honestly? She needed a break anyways, so she dutifully listened to their (only slightly off-key, actually, maybe the Phoenix needed a children’s choir) song. When they were done, however, she didn’t hesitate to bring out the questions.

“Not that I don’t like Christmas music, kids, but what on Earth are you four doing?”

One of the smaller ones (she thought it was Lichtenson’s kid, Erik) stepped forward to reply in a horribly affected growling voice. “We’re _Julebukking_ Auntie Matty! It’s like trick or treating but with Christmas carols! You gotta guess who we are, so we can go to the next office!” He quickly stepped back, hesitated, then leaned forward just a bit more, a bit shy. “Oh, uh, and if you gots any cookies or candies that you’d like to share, that’s part of the ‘dition too. Only if you wanna.” The other children nodded enthusiastically.

Matty pretended to think about that hard, as if she wasn’t already inching toward the secret stash of candy canes she had in her desk. “Well, I suppose if it’s part of a tradition…” She pulled out four candy canes for the four smiling children. “I think I can share, just this once; don’t tell Dalton, though, he’s always whining about not getting to share my candy stash.”

“We won’t, Aunt Matty!” the children chorused happily, as they each took a cane.

* * *

“This is weird. You kids get how this is weird, right?” Desiree Nguyen-Cage looked down at the foursome doubtfully, a little miffed that they’d interrupted her alone time in her office.

The tallest (probably Brady, he’d been growing like a bean sprout lately) glowered, and led the other three out. “Then we won’t bother you any longer Aunt Desi.”

“We just wanna spread Chris’mas Cheer!” called the littlest (probably Eliza based on that curly brown hair). She pouted sadly. “Don’t’cha wanna feel the Chris’mas Cheer, Auntie Desi?”

Desi looked torn, glancing back and forth between the children’s sad expressions and the video on new fighting techniques she’d been watching. But finally she sighed, sitting back down and gesturing the children forward. “Fine, I suppose you can sing _one_ song, to spread the Christmas cheer; _maybe_ I could use some right now, just a little. But I’m not giving you candy, I’m pretty sure your parents would send me packing if I gave you all sugar highs.”

Her grousing was drowned out by the childrens’ joyous cheers as they jumped into “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”.

* * *

Jill Morgan-Davis positively cooed when the carolers came to her door. “Oh don’t you all look _adorable!_ Come on, let’s gather everyone in the War Room, that way you can sing for all of us at once.” The kids accepted her shooing them out the door, since, really, their feet _were_ getting a bit tired from walking through the Phoenix for thirty minutes. Who knew how many offices there were just on the second floor? And at least Jill seemed more receptive than their last two destinations, what with Desi nearly throwing them out and the lab techs not letting them past the airlocks (something about it being “too dangerous” and “Webber will have our heads if we let you near these explosives, kids, not to mention your parents; you understand, right?”).

Soon the kids were set up in the War Room, all the furniture pushed back to create a sort of audience while the children stood at the front of the room. Their “guests” slowly trickled in after Jill (lured by the promise of cookies and a break from paperwork, no doubt). First their Uncle Bozer and Aunt Leanna, their baby Kacey sleeping on Bozer’s shoulder. Then came Aunt Riley, who kissed Jill on the cheek before gently settling into one of the soft armchairs with an arm around her swollen belly. Aunt Sam was next, dragging Aunt Desi in with her. (“Babe, I already heard them sing once, why are you making me listen again?” “Because it’s nice and because you have a reputation as a cool aunt to uphold, remember? They’re not going to think you’re cool if you don’t take interest in their lives, Dez.” “Ugh, fine.”) And finally, all four parents piled in at once; Angus Macgyver-Dalton looked a little singed around the edges, but he smiled encouragingly as he sat down. Jack Dalton-Macgyver was similarly soot-covered, but he tipped his cowboy hat at the kids and gave them a thumbs up. Raina waved happily, taking a seat in the front row after handing off a big platter of cookies to Jill (gingerbread, of course), while a rather bewildered Aleksandr sat down on the floor next to her. (“Why is our Finnish son leading us through a Norwegian _Jul_ tradition?” “Because he thought it sounded like fun, alright, now hush, they’re starting!”)

Arista, decked out in a poinsettia-themed mask, stepped forward. “Hello, and thank you for coming to our little Caroling get-together! We’re going to sing a few songs for y’all, and then we can all have cookies!” Everyone cheered at that; you’re never too old to get excited about Christmas cookies, after all.

Jill piped up from where she was standing at the back of the room, dictating directions to someone quietly through the door. “We’re also going to provide, uh, what was it Agent Lichtenson?”

“ _Glögi_ , usually a mulled wine but I gave them a non-alcoholic recipe;” Aleks called over his shoulder.

“Right, we all get _glögi_ too!” There was an even bigger cheer at that.

Once everyone had settled down and the lights were dimmed at the back of the room, the little impromptu concert started with a cheerful “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Everyone chuckled lightly at the children’s synchronized dance moves, making antlers from their hands and beeping as they touched their noses. They received a rousing round of applause at the end of the song, and each child beamed happily at their audience’s enthusiasm. Then, little Eliza stepped forward to sing her song. Slightly off-key, but really quite sweetly, she began.

_“[Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight…](https://youtu.be/CreWsnhQwzY)”_

The other children joined her in a soft harmony of “oo’s”, helping her keep time and key. All the adults cooed at her sweet song, and she received enthusiastic applause as she finished softly.

“That was wonderful baby girl! You were great!”Jack called out. Murmurs of agreement followed.

Eliza gave a little bow and waved shyly. “Thankie, Papa.” Then all the kids started into another song, this time “Jingle Bells”. Everyone joined them to sing that one, even Desi (after a nudge from Sam). The joy in the room was palpable as the song ended and everyone laughed gleefully. Brady was the next one to step forward, pulling out the music he'd printed out; even after several rounds of practicing he wanted to get it just right.

_"[En skulle vøri fire år i romjul'n](https://youtu.be/Ze9rTTSzwtw)_

[ _Og kjint ei jinte som var nesten fem,_ ](https://youtu.be/Ze9rTTSzwtw)

[ _Og begge skulle kledd seg ut med masker_ ](https://youtu.be/Ze9rTTSzwtw)

_[Og kømmi julbokk tel et bæssmorhem…](https://youtu.be/Ze9rTTSzwtw)"_

His voice was clear and high, perfect for a children's song. He enunciated whenever possible, keeping his pronunciation as close to the video he'd watched as possible, and managed to get through all the verses with nary a hiccup. He earned a warm round of applause when he finished his song. He bowed politely, setting his music aside, and let Arista step forward next.

A hush fell over the room as Jill played a backing instrumental over the speakers, the sounds of a shaker instrument playing softly in the background. Arista stood under a single light, hands crossed in front of her body; there was a sheen of tears noticeable in her eyes if she turned her head a certain way, but otherwise she showed no emotion as she began to sing.

_"[Naranjas y limas, limas y limones](https://youtu.be/x7qLVmSXruk)_

_[Más linda la Virgen que todas las flores...](https://youtu.be/x7qLVmSXruk)"_

She was soft, almost shy, but her voice was full of the emotions she wouldn't show on her face, and by the end of the song there wasn't a dry eye in the room. She, too, received a warm round of applause, and a gentle hug with a kiss to her temple from Mac. She bowed gracefully, then stepped back to join the other children in another group song; they performed a round of "Carol of the Bells", with the older children harmonizing to the youngers' melodies. Jill played the sound of a single large bell ringing at the end, the effect mesmerizing to the adults in attendance. They clapped briefly, but before they could cheer more, little Erik stepped forward, shushing them.

"This's the last song today, okay? We hope you liked our concert lots and lots, cause then we can make it our own 'dition! My _Isä_ taught me this one, I hope you like it even though you don't know the words." After a few nods from the adults, Erik stood up straight and started to sing a song he already knew by heart.

_"[Joulupuu on rakennettu,](https://youtu.be/61qDn46QA-w)_

[ _joulu on jo ovella;_ ](https://youtu.be/61qDn46QA-w)

[ _namusia ripustettu,_ ](https://youtu.be/61qDn46QA-w)

_[ompi kuusen oksilla…](https://youtu.be/61qDn46QA-w)"_

He was… a little out of tune, quite honestly, but it didn't matter to his audience of loved ones; they thought it was wonderful. Aleks had tears of pride and love in his eyes as he mouthed along with the words. His hand was clasped in Raina's, who had them pressed against her mouth as she leaned on his shoulder; she, too, was mouthing the words as their son sang, though she hadn't known the song quite as long as Aleks had. The other audience members had encouraging smiles on their faces; even Desi had dropped her aloof façade in favor of smiling and weaving slightly back and forth to the beat, Sam doing the same at her side.

As the song came to a close, all the audience members stood and applauded enthusiastically, grinning brightly as all the children clasped hands and took a group bow. They clapped for a good minute or two before finally slowing down and eventually dispersing; Phoenix personnel who weren't specifically attached to the children grabbed cookies and _Glögi_ and moved into the hall in small groups to talk and catch up, while the Flagship Family gathered around their tiny singers.

Jack immediately gathered Eliza up into his arms, sending her giggling uncontrollably. "You kids were rockin'!” He exclaimed, nuzzling his nose with Eli's. "I think I'll have your little band MC my next high school reunion, how about that?"

Brady, who was tucked into Mac's side along with Arista, shook his head. "Nah, Pop, I think we're a Christmas-only kinda band, ya know? Wouldn't be special if we sang all the time." Arista nodded in agreement, sharing a look with Mac that sent her giggling into her own hand.

"Aw, well alright bud, but you ever change your mind you just let me know, you know where to find me after all."

Mac shot him a wry look. "I would think so considering they live with us Jackie." All three Macgyver-Dalton siblings laughed outright at that.

Meanwhile Raina had gathered Erik up into her own arms, pushing his mask up on top of his hair so she could give him a kiss on the nose. "Was that fun enough to keep as a tradition, _kulta?_ Caroling through the building for everyone?"

"Yeah! We gotta do it every year Mommy! It's so much fun!!!"

"Sounds good to me, I'll have to teach you more _laulut_ to sing then," Aleks said, nuzzling his nose against Erik's. "Did you two find any other traditions to try? I'm sure there's a few from home I can teach you."

"We'd love that, though I've already got a few recipes for food to try, starting with the _krumkake_." Raina adjusted Erik on her hip as she spoke, causing him to giggle softly.

Aleks was aghast. " _Krumkake?!_ But what about _joulutortut?! Rakas_ , you wound me!"

Raina snorted at that and gently patted his cheek. "That was actually going to be my second dish, love, don't worry. I was gonna ask if your dad had a family recipe to share, I'm sure it's better than any I could find online."

"Oh,” he replied, “Well alright then. Yeah he's got one, an old one passed down through the family for several generations; I'll ask him to email it to me tomorrow morning. But, uh, when are you going to be doing all this baking?"

Raina smirked. "In the evenings after work; hope you don't mind fixing dinner the next couple of nights."

Aleks nodded thoughtfully. “That’s okay with me, there’s a recipe for soup that I’ve been wanting to try anyways; it’s a copy of that potato soup we had at the Italian place a couple weeks ago, remember?”

“Olive Garden?” Raina asked incredulously. “Honey, it was good soup, not gonna lie, but I would hardly call that ‘Italian’. I’m not even sure it really qualifies as Italian-American to be honest.” That said, she came closer to her husband and gently kissed him on the cheek. “But that really does sound good though, count me in.”

“Can we join you for dinner too?” Mac joked from where he was talking with Arista about _las posadas_. “That sounds better than what we’ve got planned.”

“What, you don’t like my cookin’, babe?” Jack teased. “I’m hurt! All those lessons Bozer put me through, wasted!”

Mac deadpanned. “All we were doing was sandwiches, Jack, I’d hardly call that a chef’s dinner.” All three of their children giggled at that, used to their parents’ play fights.

“Well I suppose it’s up to Aleksandr, considering he’s the one cooking it, but I wouldn’t mind you five joining us, personally! I’m sure Erik would love to have a playdate, and the older kids could help me with my baking if they’d like! What do you say, dear?” Raina asked, giving Aleks a meaningful look.

The Finnish man sighed, already mentally calculating how much soup he’d need to make to fill everyone up. “I’ll get out the stockpot.”

Everyone cheered at the promise of a delicious, home-cooked meal.

_Loppu, slutten, el fin, the end_

**Author's Note:**

> Word bank of non-english words and approximate translations (if this is your language and somehow all of my research has steered me wrong, please let me know and I’ll edit it to the correct translation):
> 
> Spanish/Espanol:  
> Dia del Muertos: a Mexican holiday honoring the dead, celebrated at the end of October/beginning of November  
> Naranjas y limas, limas y limones; Más linda la Virgen que todas las flores: lyrics from the song La Rama, a posada song; roughly translated it means “oranges and limes, limes and lemons; our Virgin Mother is more beautiful than all the flowers.” The one I had in mind specifically comes from Veracruz in Mexico, but there are many versions of this song across the hispanic world, all sharing this refrain.  
> Las Posadas: a Hispanic tradition for Christmas; its a nine-day procession in which actors recreate the travels of Joseph and Mary (or José y María if you want to be technical) by leading a procession of singers around town to different houses, one each night; they sing posadas like La Rama as they go. The specifics vary from country to country and town to town.  
> El fin: the end
> 
> Norwegian/Norsk:  
> Jul: Christmas, a cognate of the english word Yule  
> Krumkake: a Norwegian pastry usually served at christmastime; very similar to a pancake, or maybe a crepe  
> Julebukking: an old Norwegian christmas tradition that’s going out of fashion in favor of halloween (likely because it’s bitterly cold in Norway at christmastime), it involves people dressing up in masks and traveling to different neighbor’s houses while (usually) singing songs; the point is for the people in the houses to invite them in, give them refreshment and try to guess who is who under the masks. This was typically done between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Some traditions had a member of each household join the Julebukkers as they traveled to the next house.  
> Romjulsdrøm: a Norwegian Christmas song first published in 1968 about small children julebukking at their grandmother’s house. The tradition itself may be out of fashion but the song is still very cute  
> Slutten: the end
> 
> Finnish/Suomi:  
> Joulunaikaa: Christmastime  
> Isӓ: dad, daddy, father  
> Joulupukki: literally the Yule Goat, but in recent years this has become Finland’s Santa figure  
> Kulta: literally translates to “gold” but is more similar in meaning to the english endearment “dear”; one Finnish blogger I’d seen mentioned that this was a term their mother had used for them as a child, hence its use here, though it may also be acceptable between romantic partners idk  
> Joulua: Christmas, another likely cognate of Jul/Yule  
> Joulutortut: Finnish christmas pastry that looks like a star with jam in the center  
> Ei, ei: No, no  
> Joulupuu on Rakennettu: a Finnish Christmas carol primarily sung by young children; the lyrics selected for this fic are from the first verse, and talk of the christmas tree being decorated with candies while christmas eve is coming soon  
> Glögi: the Finnish name for a mulled wine drunk throughout Fennoscandia, usually made from port or another red wine and mulled with cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel; older variants include soaking figs in the wine before it’s mulled. Can also be made with fruit juice, in which apple juice and grape juice are primarily used (the mulling spices are the same); I’ve been drinking a fruit juice version since early December and I, personally, am in love. Also goes by Gløgg in Norway and Glögg in Sweden. There’s also a version from Victorian England that is more or less the same basic recipe, called Smoking Bishop.  
> Laulut: songs (nominative plural of laulu, song or singing)  
> Rakas: love, my love (term of endearment between lovers)  
> Loppu: the end
> 
> Final author’s note: the olive garden soup they’re talking about is Zuppa Toscana, which is a delicious soup that you should totally try one of the copycat versions of. It's definitely not Italian though 😂


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